The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary

Chapter 124

Chapter 1242,789 wordsPublic domain

He by the heels him hung upon a tree, And baffled so, that all which passed by The picture of his punishment might see. Spenser.

2. To check by shifts and turns; to elude; to foil.

The art that baffles time's tyrannic claim. Cowper.

3. To check by perplexing; to disconcert, frustrate, or defeat; to thwart. "A baffled purpose."

De Quincey.

A suitable scripture ready to repel and baffle them all. South.

Calculations so difficult as to have baffled , until within a . . . recent period, the most enlightened nations. Prescott.

The mere intricacy of a question should not baffle us. Locke.

Baffling wind (Naut.) , one that frequently shifts from one point to another.

Syn. -- To balk; thwart; foil; frustrate; defeat.

Baffle <Xpage=111>

Baf"fle , v. i. 1. To practice deceit. [Obs.]

Barrow.

2. To struggle against in vain; as, a ship baffles with the winds . [R.]

Baffle <Xpage=111>

Baf"fle , n. A defeat by artifice, shifts, and turns; discomfiture. [R.] "A baffle to philosophy."

South.

Bafflement <Xpage=111>

Baf"fle*ment (?) , n. The process or act of baffling, or of being baffled; frustration; check.

Baffler <Xpage=111>

Baf"fler (?) , n. One who, or that which, baffles.

<-- p. 112 -->

Baffling <Xpage=112>

Baf"fling (?) , a. Frustrating; discomfiting; disconcerting; as, baffling currents, winds, tasks. -- Bafflingly , adv. -- Bafflingness , n.

Baft <Xpage=112>

Baft (?) . n. Same as Bafta .

Bafta <Xpage=112>

Baf"ta (?) , n. [Cf. Per. baft . woven, wrought.] A coarse stuff, usually of cotton, originally made in India. Also, an imitation of this fabric made for export.

Bag <Xpage=112>

Bag (?) , n. [OE. bagge ; cf. Icel. baggi , and also OF. bague , bundle, LL. baga .] 1. A sack or pouch, used for holding anything; as, a bag of meal or of money .

2. A sac, or dependent gland, in animal bodies, containing some fluid or other substance; as, the bag of poison in the mouth of some serpents; the bag of a cow.

3. A sort of silken purse formerly tied about men's hair behind, by way of ornament. [Obs.]

4. The quantity of game bagged.

5. (Com.) A certain quantity of a commodity, such as it is customary to carry to market in a sack; as, a bag of pepper or hops; a bag of coffee.

Bag and baggage , all that belongs to one. -- To give one the bag , to disappoint him. [Obs.]

Bunyan.

Bag <Xpage=112>

Bag , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Bagged (<?/); p. pr. & vb. n. Bagging ] 1. To put into a bag; as, to bag hops .

2. To seize, capture, or entrap; as, to bag an army; to bag game.

3. To furnish or load with a bag or with a well filled bag.

A bee bagged with his honeyed venom. Dryden.

Bag <Xpage=112>

Bag , v. i. 1. To swell or hang down like a full bag; as, the skin bags from containing morbid matter .

2. To swell with arrogance. [Obs.]

Chaucer.

3. To become pregnant. [Obs.]

Warner. (Alb. Eng. ).

Bagasse <Xpage=112>

Ba*gasse" (?) , n. [F.] Sugar cane, as it <?/omes crushed from the mill. It is then dried and used as fuel. Also extended to the refuse of beetroot sugar.

Bagatelle <Xpage=112>

Bag`a*telle" (?) , n. [F., fr. It. bagatella ; cf. Prov. It. bagata trifle, OF. bague , Pr. bagua , bundle. See Bag , n. ] 1. A trifle; a thing of no importance.

Rich trifles, serious bagatelles . Prior.

2. A game played on an oblong board, having, at one end, cups or arches into or through which balls are to be driven by a rod held in the hand of the player.

Baggage <Xpage=112>

Bag"gage (?) , n. [F. bagage , from OF. bague bungle. In senses 6 and 7 cf. F. bagasse a prostitute. See Bag , n. ] 1. The clothes, tents, utensils, and provisions of an army.

&hand; "The term itself is made to apply chiefly to articles of clothing and to small personal effects."

Farrow.

2. The trunks, valises, satchels, etc., which a traveler carries with him on a journey; luggage.

The baronet's baggage on the roof of the coach. Thackeray.

We saw our baggage following below. Johnson.

&hand; The English usually call this luggage .

3. Purulent matter. [Obs.]

Barrough.

4. Trashy talk. [Obs.]

Ascham.

5. A man of bad character. [Obs.]

Holland.

6. A woman of loose morals; a prostitute.

A disreputable, daring, laughing, painted French baggage . Thackeray.

7. A romping, saucy girl. [Playful]

Goldsmith.

Baggage master <Xpage=112>

Bag"gage mas`ter (?) . One who has charge of the baggage at a railway station or upon a line of public travel. [U.S.]

Baggager <Xpage=112>

Bag"ga*ger (?) , n. One who takes care of baggage; a camp follower. [Obs.]

Sir W. Raleigh.

Baggala <Xpage=112>

Bag"ga*la (?) , n. [Ar. "fem. of baghl a mule." Balfour .] (Naut.) A two-masted Arab or Indian trading vessel, used in Indian Ocean.

Baggily <Xpage=112>

Bag"gi*ly (?) , adv. In a loose, baggy way.

Bagging <Xpage=112>

Bag"ging , n. 1. Cloth or other material for bags.

2. The act of putting anything into, or as into, a bag.

3. The act of swelling; swelling.

Bagging <Xpage=112>

Bag"ging , n. [Etymol. uncertain.] Reaping peas, beans, wheat, etc., with a chopping stroke. [Eng.]

Baggy <Xpage=112>

Bag"gy (?) , a. Resembling a bag; loose or puffed out, or pendent, like a bag; flabby; as, baggy trousers; baggy cheeks.

Bagman <Xpage=112>

Bag"man (?) , n. ; pl. Bagmen (<?/) . A commercial traveler; one employed to solicit orders for manufacturers and tradesmen.

Thackeray.

Bag net <Xpage=112>

Bag" net` (?) . A bag-shaped net for catching fish.

Bagnio <Xpage=112>

Bagn"io (?) , n. [It. bagno , fr. L. balneum . Cf. Bain .] 1. A house for bathing, sweating, etc.; -- also, in Turkey, a prison for slaves. [Obs.]

2. A brothel; a stew; a house of prostitution.

Bagpipe <Xpage=112>

Bag"pipe (?) , n. A musical wind instrument, now used chiefly in the Highlands of Scotland.

&hand; It consists of a leather bag, which receives the air by a tube that is stopped by a valve; and three sounding pipes, into which the air is pressed by the performer. Two of these pipes produce fixed tones, namely, the bass, or key tone, and its fifth, and form together what is called the drone ; the third, or chanter , gives the melody.

Bagpipe <Xpage=112>

Bag"pipe , v. t. To make to look like a bagpipe.

To bagpipe the mizzen (Naut.) , to lay it aback by bringing the sheet to the mizzen rigging.

Totten.

Bagpiper <Xpage=112>

Bag"pip`er (?) , n. One who plays on a bagpipe; a piper.

Shak.

Bagreef <Xpage=112>

Bag"reef` (?) , n. [ Bag + reef .] (Naut.) The lower reef of fore and aft sails; also, the upper reef of topsails.

Ham. Nav. Encyc.

Bague <Xpage=112>

Bague (?) , n. [F., a ring] (Arch.) The annular molding or group of moldings dividing a long shaft or clustered column into two or more parts.

Baguet, Baguette <Xpage=112>

Ba*guet" , Ba*guette" (?) , n. [F. baguette , prop. a rod<?/ It. bacchetta , fr. L. baculum , baculu<?/ stick, staff.] 1. (Arch.) A small molding, like the astragal, but smaller; a bead.

2. (Zo\'94l) One of the minute bodies seen in the divided nucleoli of some Infusoria after conjugation.

Bagwig <Xpage=112>

Bag"wig" (?) , n. A wig, in use in the 18th century, with the hair at the back of the head in a bag.

Bagworm <Xpage=112>

Bag"worm` (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) One of several lepidopterous insects which construct, in the larval state, a baglike case which they carry about for protection. One species (Plat\'d2ceticus Gloveri) feeds on the orange tree. See Basket worm .

Bah <Xpage=112>

Bah (?) , interj. An exclamation expressive of extreme contempt.

Twenty-five years ago the vile ejaculation, Bah ! was utterly unknown to the English public. De Quincey.

Bahar <Xpage=112>

Ba*har" (?) , n. [Ar. bah\'ber , from bahara to charge with a load.] A weight used in certain parts of the East Indies, varying considerably in different localities, the range being from 223 to 625 pounds.

Baigne <Xpage=112>

Baigne (?) , v. i. [F. baigner to bathe, fr. L. balneum bath.] To soak or drench. [Obs.]

Bail <Xpage=112>

Bail (?) , n. [F. baille a bucket, pail; cf. LL. bacula , dim. of bacca a sort of vessel. Cf. Bac .] A bucket or scoop used in bailing water out of a boat. [Obs.]

The bail of a canoe . . . made of a human skull. Capt. Cook.

Bail <Xpage=112>

Bail , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Bailed (<?/); p. pr. & vb. n. Bailing .] 1. To lade; to dip and throw; -- usually with out ; as, to bail water out of a boat .

Buckets . . . to bail out the water. Capt. J. Smith.

2. To dip or lade water from; -- often with out to express completeness; as, to bail a boat .

By the help of a small bucket and our hats we bailed her out. R. H. Dana, Jr.

Bail <Xpage=112>

Bail , v.<?/t. [OF. bailler to give, to deliver, fr. L. bajulare to bear a burden, keep in custody, fr. bajulus <?/ who bears burdens.] 1. To deliver; to release. [Obs.]

Ne none there was to rescue her, ne none to bail . Spenser.

2. (Law) (a) To set free, or deliver from arrest, or out of custody, on the undertaking of some other person or persons that he or they will be responsible for the appearance, at a certain day and place, of the person bailed.

&hand; The word is applied to the magistrate or the surety. The magistrate bails (but admits to bail is commoner) a man when he liberates him from arrest or imprisonment upon bond given with sureties. The surety bails a person when he procures his release from arrest by giving bond for his appearance.

Blackstone.

(b) To deliver, as goods in trust, for some special object or purpose, upon a contract, expressed or implied, that the trust shall be faithfully executed on the part of the bailee, or person intrusted; as, to bail cloth to a tailor to be made into a garment; to bail goods to a carrier .

Blackstone. Kent.

Bail <Xpage=112>

Bail , n. [OF. bail guardian, administrator, fr. L. bajulus . See Bail to deliver.] 1. Custody; keeping. [Obs.]

Silly Faunus now within their bail . Spenser.

2. (Law) (a) The person or persons who procure the release of a prisoner from the custody of the officer, or from imprisonment, by becoming surely for his appearance in court.

The bail must be real, substantial bondsmen. Blackstone.

A. and B. were bail to the arrest in a suit at law. Kent.

(b) The security given for the appearance of a prisoner in order to obtain his release from custody of the officer; as, the man is out on bail ; to go bail for any one .

Excessive bail ought not to be required. Blackstone.

Bail <Xpage=112>

Bail , n. [OE. beyl ; cf. Dan. b\'94ile an bending, ring, hoop, Sw. b\'94gel , bygel , and Icel. beyla hump, swelling, akin to E. bow to bend.] 1. The arched handle of a kettle, pail, or similar vessel, usually movable.

Forby.

2. A half hoop for supporting the cover of a carrier's wagon, awning of a boat, etc.

Bail <Xpage=112>

Bail , n. [OF. bail , baille . See Bailey .] 1. (Usually pl. ) A line of palisades serving as an exterior defense. [Written also bayle .] [Obs.]

2. The outer wall of a feudal castle. Hence: The space inclosed by it; the outer court.

Holinshed.

3. A certain limit within a forest. [Eng.]

4. A division for the stalls of an open stable.

5. (Cricket) The top or cross piece ( or either of the two cross pieces) of the wicket.

Bailable <Xpage=112>

Bail"a*ble (?) , a. 1. Having the right or privilege of being admitted to bail, upon bond with sureties; -- used of persons. "He's bailable , I'm sure."

Ford.

2. Admitting of bail; as, a bailable offense .

3. That can be delivered in trust; as, bailable goods .

Bail bond <Xpage=112>

Bail" bond` (?) . (Law) (a) A bond or obligation given by a prisoner and his surety, to insure the prisoner's appearance in court, at the return of the writ. (b) Special bail in court to abide the judgment.

Bouvier.

Bailee <Xpage=112>

Bail`ee" (?) , n. [OF. baill\'82 , p.p. of bailler . See Bail to deliver.] (Law) The person to whom goods are committed in trust, and who has a temporary possession and a qualified property in them, for the purposes of the trust.

Blackstone.

&hand; In penal statutes the word includes those who receive goods for another in good faith.

Wharton.

Bailer <Xpage=112>

Bail"er (?) , n. (Law) See Bailor .

Bailer <Xpage=112>

Bail"er , n. 1. One who bails or lades.

2. A utensil, as a bucket or cup, used in bailing; a machine for bailing water out of a pit.

Bailey <Xpage=112>

Bai"ley (?) , n. [The same word as bail line of palisades; cf. LL. ballium bailey, OF. bail , baille , a palisade, baillier to inclose, shut.] 1. The outer wall of a feudal castle. [Obs.]

2. The space immediately within the outer wall of a castle or fortress. [Obs.]

3. A prison or court of justice; -- used in certain proper names; as, the Old Bailey in London; the New Bailey in Manchester. [Eng.]

Oxf. Gloss.

Bailie <Xpage=112>

Bail"ie (?) , n. [See Bailiff .] An officer in Scotland, whose office formerly corresponded to that of sheriff, but now corresponds to that of an English alderman.

Bailiff <Xpage=112>

Bail"iff (?) , n. [OF. baillif , F. bailli , custodia<?/ magistrate, fr. L. bajulus porter. See Bail to deliver.]

1. Originally, a person put in charge of something especially, a chief officer, magistrate, or keeper, as of a county, town, hundred, or castle; one to whom power<?/ of custody or care are intrusted.

Abbott.

Lausanne is under the canton of Berne, governed by a bailiff sent every three years from the senate. Addison.

2. (Eng. Law) A sheriff's deputy, appointed to make arrests, collect fines, summon juries, etc.

&hand; In American law the term bailiff is seldom used except sometimes to signify a sheriff's officer or constable, or a party liable to account to another for the rent and profits of real estate.

Burrill.

3. An overseer or under steward of an estate, who directs husbandry operations, collects rents, etc. [Eng.]

Bailiffwick <Xpage=112>

Bail"iff*wick (?) , n. See Bailiwick . [Obs.]

Bailiwick <Xpage=112>

Bail"i*wick (?) , n. [ Bailie , bailiff + wick a village.] (Law) The precincts within which a bailiff has jurisdiction; the limits of a bailiff's authority.

Baillie <Xpage=112>

Bail"lie (?) , n. 1. Bailiff. [Obs.]

2. Same as Bailie . [Scot.]

Bailment <Xpage=112>

Bail"ment (?) , n. 1. (Law) The action of bailing a person accused.

Bailment . . . is the saving or delivery of a man out of prison before he hath satisfied the law. Dalton.

2. (Law) A delivery of goods or money by one person to another in trust, for some special purpose, upon a contract, expressed or implied, that the trust shall be faithfully executed.

Blackstone.

&hand; In a general sense it is sometimes used as comprehending all duties in respect to property.

Story.

Bailor <Xpage=112>

Bail`or" (?) , n. (Law) One who delivers goods or money to another in trust.

Bailpiece <Xpage=112>

Bail"piece` (?) , n. (Law) A piece of parchment, or paper, containing a recognizance or bail bond.

Bain <Xpage=112>

Bain (?) , n. [F. bain , fr. L. balneum . Cf. Bagnio .] A bath; a bagnio. [Obs.]

Holland.

Bain-marie <Xpage=112>

Bain`-ma`rie" (?) , n. [F.] A vessel for holding hot water in which another vessel may be heated without scorching its contents; -- used for warming or preparing food or pharmaceutical preparations.

Bairam <Xpage=112>

Bai"ram (?) , n. [Turk. ba\'8br\'bem .] The name of two Mohammedan festivals, of which one is held at the close of the fast called Ramadan, and the other seventy days after the fast.

Bairn <Xpage=112>

Bairn (?) , n. [Scot. bairn , AS. bearn , fr. beran to bear; akin to Icel., OS., &Goth. barn . See Bear to support.] A child. [Scot. & Prov. Eng.]

Has he not well provided for the bairn ! Beau. & Fl.

Baisemains <Xpage=112>

Baise"mains` (?) , n. pl. [F., fr. baiser to kiss + mains hands.] Respects; compliments. [Obs.]

Bait <Xpage=112>

Bait (?) , n. [Icel. beita food, beit pasture, akin to AS. b\'bet food, Sw. bete . See Bait , v. i. ] 1. Any substance, esp. food, used in catching fish, or other animals, by alluring them to a hook, snare, inclosure, or net.

2. Anything which allures; a lure; enticement; temptation.

Fairfax.

3. A portion of food or drink, as a refreshment taken on a journey; also, a stop for rest and refreshment.

4. A light or hasty luncheon.

Bait bug (Zo\'94l) , a crustacean of the genus Hippa found burrowing in sandy beaches. See Anomura .

Bait <Xpage=112>